Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
by xmelodyxx
Summary: A job in the scouts could mean death the very next day. When Petra returns from being seemingly dead, Levi realises the very meaning of these words and knows he must cherish the time they spend together, whether it be killing Titans or not. Following story of Petra and Levi Disclaimer: We do not own AOT or the cover photo.


_Author's Note from Marinette: (Author of this story)_

 _So the person who owns this account is my best friend, she's the owner of this account - I say again, NOT MY ACCOUNT! I am writing this story through her because I can't have my own. I'm excited to be able to write alongside one of my closest friends. We proofread one another's stories before you guys can see. Let's call her Alya..._

 _Author's Note from Alya (The owner of the account): 3_

 _This is Marinette's story, please can all reviews be directed to her, she's such an amazing writer & best friend; I'm honored to have her work on my account. We proofread each other's stories and since I'm the owner of xmelodyxx and she doesn't have an account, I post her stories for her. All credits go to her except…_

 _DISCALIMER: We do not own AOT!_

 _Chapter 1: Pilot_

Wind screamed as the female titan swatted an enormous hand at Petra. Petra spiralled towards the forest floor before her face smashed into the dusty arid ground. Eren glanced over his shoulder and his eyes flew wide.

"Petra!" he screamed. Her body smashed upon the ground on impact, and rolled across the forest floor, her back crunching agonisingly into a tree trunk. Blood trickled from the open wound on her shoulder down and mingled with the stony atmosphere of the 57th Exterior Scouting Mission. Eren's horse carried on riding forward, as he turned with tears in his eyes. He rode until the whole past Levi Squad were nothing but grey furry specks. The ground shook and vibrated. Once. Twice. A colossal pink foot thumped in front of him, a massive gale of wind blew him back.

Her ears rang painfully, screeching with a white noise. There was a crushing weight on top of her.

"This is one thing I'll never get used to." a muffled voice said. A damp cold fabric pressed down upon her face. Her eyes stiffly peeled open to the dim sunlight peeking through white cotton. She felt terrible, like one of those bodies that were wrapped up after they died in battle. Something warm dripped down the side of her face and ran into her hair that was spread in a fan underneath her neck. God, her back and shoulder were throbbing with pain. Too tired to speak, Petra's eyes fluttered closed again, her head lolling sideways as she fell into an uneasy sleep.

"I swear I saw something move, Captain." another voice shouted.

Captain Levi sped forwards on his horse his head bobbing next to the jostling wagon loaded with the bodies of fallen soldiers. Usually he would not care about the people watching the dead; if their friends were amongst them the people watching would nearly always be imagining any signs of life.

"Dead bodies can't move, idiot."

Levi deadpanned, his eyes dull beneath his curtain of dark hair. But as he flicked on the reins to gallop faster, he glanced a dangling hand from one of the corpses, with a semi circle ring of bite marks pressed into the back of the palm. Such a delicate hand those bite marks were on, a hand so small but so capable of wielding swords and slaying titans. He refocused on the task ahead: returning safely behind the walls. He could not allow himself to think of Petra. Not now.

Each body rolled across the bumpy terrain, some being crushed in the path of the female titan, others just laying idly. Petra's body rolled from the cart, as Levi watched with expressionless moment her body left the wagon her eyes snapped open, her reflexes igniting and she landed lightly on her feet, the white bloodied sheet blowing around her shoulders. By the time she looked up and gathered her wits, the whole regiment was further ahead.

"Hey!" she yelled, starting to run despite the aching pain in her back and shoulder.

Levi turned to catch a glimpse of Petra's face. Even if it was lifeless, he could catch a look at her features. Something to grasp on and give him something to hold onto so he would not fall into the abyss of titan hunting. Something to save him. But as he twisted back, he heard her shriek. His eyes widened and eyebrows raised for a single moment, before his expression hardened once more seamlessly.

"Carry on moving!" he commanded to the two men steering the now-empty corpse cart. Levi steered his horse back with a sense of steely determination. If there was any hope Petra was alive he would find her. And when he did, he would never lose her to a titan again…

But wasn't he going against his own commands by doing this? But it didn't matter. Not if he could at all possibly find Petra.

Petra was tiring from running, and her feet stumbled over one another as she reached forward to the figure racing towards her. A black feeling throbbed in her shoulder as she stumbled once more and fell, eyes closing with fatigue.

Levi swiftly bent down and retrieved her from the grass, sliding a hand around her waist and placing her behind him on the horse. This would slow them down considerably, but he knew he was a fast rider and that his horse would not fail him. It could not.

Petra's blood dripped down onto his shoulder, soaking through Levi's green cloak.

Was this the body that had been moving earlier?

Petra's head lolled towards the right as Levi carried her in his arms into her room in the castle where they were residing in.

"Captain Levi," Section Commander Hange said, saluting him respectively,"you are-"

She was interrupted suddenly by Levi giving her a glare with such intensity that she shrunk away, blinking. "I'm very sorry, sir! I will tell them you are busy." and she scrambled back downstairs with a goofy grin. Levi and Petra? Hange almost squealed in delight! How precious they could be together... Her malicious grin spread wider as she ran to the dining hall. Levi kicked open her door and with a little bit of struggle, stepped over various items of clothing and knelt down, sliding her down on the top of her white sheets. He walked slowly towards the door and closed it quietly with a click. Over his shoulder he could hear Petra gradually stirring, rubbing her eyes.

"Don't sit up." Levi said blankly, his boots clacking against the floorboards as he walked to the bed frame. "You've been hurt pretty bad."

Petra gritted her teeth and clenched her eyes shut. The pain in her shoulder was soaring high above her tolerance level and there was nothing that could help.

Levi placed a hand on her forehead as if he was checking for a temperature, and shifted his palm so his hand slid down the side of her face in an affectionate gesture…

"I thought you were dead." he commented, giving her his regular unamused face.

"Dead bodies don't move." she sighed, finally opening her eyes to look at him.

 _Author's Note from Marinette:_

 _I hope you've enjoyed this chapter :3_

 _I may be carrying on if you enjoy, so be sure to please R &R! 33_


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